Gönül Tol is a senior research fellow at the Middle East Institute (MEI), where she focuses on Turkish politics, US-Turkey relations, political Islam, and regional dynamics in the Middle East. Her research also explores the formation of ethnic and religious identity, immigration, and the role of identity in shaping foreign policy.
A frequent commentator, Dr Tol has written numerous articles on Turkish domestic and foreign policy for publications such as Foreign Affairs, Foreign Policy and The Financial Times. Her articles include “Turkey Is Now a Full-Blown Autocracy” in Foreign Affairs (March 2025) and “Erdogan Sees Nothing But Opportunity in Syria” in The Financial Times (December 2024).
She is the author of Erdogan’s War: A Strongman’s Struggle at Home and in Syria (Oxford University Press, 2023).